# What will the EIA national average diesel price be at the end of Q3 2026?

**URL:** https://www.rigload.com/markets/diesel-price-q3-2026  
**Type:** Numeric forecast  
**Status:** active  
**Deadline:** 2026-09-28  
**Category:** rates  
**Current consensus:** $4.50/gal  
**Forecasts:** 1

## Description

The U.S. average retail price of on-highway diesel is the benchmark fuel cost for trucking and, for most carriers, the largest variable cost. The EIA publishes it weekly. As of early June 2026 it stood $5 a gallon, up sharply from a year earlier, after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz raised crude and refined-product prices, on [EIA](https://www.eia.gov/petroleum/gasdiesel/) data. The June EIA Short-Term Energy Outlook expects oil shipments through the Strait to resume during the third quarter. This market asks where the national average diesel price stands at the end of Q3 2026. A companion market tracks the [national dry van linehaul rate](https://www.rigload.com/markets/dat-van-linehaul-q3-2026) over the same quarter.

## Resolution criteria

Resolution is the U.S. average retail on-highway diesel price (No. 2 Diesel, all types) reported by the EIA for the final weekly pricing date of the third quarter of 2026, the Monday release dated Sept. 28, 2026, rounded to the nearest cent. Source: [EIA Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update](https://www.eia.gov/petroleum/gasdiesel/). The U.S. average published by the EIA governs; the series is rarely revised.

## Similar markets

- [Will the national average diesel price fall below $3.25/gallon at any point in Q2 2026?](https://www.rigload.com/markets/diesel-below-325-q2-2026.md)
- [Will the national spot truckload rate (SONAR NTI.USA) exceed $3.15/mile at the end of June 2026?](https://www.rigload.com/markets/nti-spot-rate-june-2026.md)
- [What will the EIA national average diesel price be on June 30, 2026?](https://www.rigload.com/markets/diesel-price-forecast-june-2026.md)

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_Rig Load — freight market forecasting. Crowd consensus is public; sign in to submit a forecast. Source: https://www.rigload.com/markets/diesel-price-q3-2026_